Got a Secret
by AnimeGirlKairi
Summary: Can you keep it? A Circus Darkrai tribute. (Image by spiderliing666 on DeviantArt, I encourage you to look at her artwork.)


**I need to make this very clear right now; the idea of **_**Circus Darkrai **_**and **_**Mr. Dark **_**belong to the rightful owners on DeviantArt. This is a mere tribute to such a wonderful group of spectacular artists that I doubt I would ever join in on - simply because my drawings might not be good enough for it (and I don't know how to put my drawings into the computer and upload it anyways).**

**So if there are any problems concerning this theme I'm tributing to at all - ownership, inaccuracy, etc. - let me know and I'll see what I can do; when worse comes to worse I'll just take down the story.**

**Now that we got that out of the way, enjoy the story.**

In the turn of the century, where change was despised and a life that held more meaning seemed to only be a distant dream, came a fragile time where smoke began to cascade the air and the world seemed bittersweet. A world where technology was either despised or granting to those who live for it a chance to make the impossible possible. It was the beginning of the 20th (1900's) century, and everywhere you looked there were only two kinds of faces; those cursed with hollow eyes and cracked, dry lips that formed a decreasing frown, and those with a greedy glint in their eyes and lips forming a simple simper, ready to talk down to those they considered scum.

But there was one person who wasn't like that. No, he wasn't someone with dreaded eyes and a disastrous smile. No, he was someone who had reform with eyes that seemed to radiate a dark mischievous along with a playful, attractive smile that would easily curl into a troublesome smirk. Skin as gray as the overshadowed sky, eyes both colored and cold as ice, and white hair that always flowed elegantly with no breeze to interact with its grace, he was commonly known as Mr. Dark. Dressed in a fashionable red-collar and black overcoat, with tights connected to his high-heeled boots, and an extra small tophat tilted to the side to complete his outfit, he performs his duty professionally as the ringmaster of _Circus Dark_. A circus known for exploiting nightmares as amusement onto audiences and carries fun for all ages. There is practically not a single town in the world that doesn't know the infamous _Circus Darkrai_. Traveling by a steam-powered railroad, they travel late into the night to continue their tour, one town after another…and sometimes…

...some individuals go missing along with them, or so the rumors tell.

Have you not heard?

Mr. Dark is a Darkrai, a legendary. He can grant wishes to those in need for very _special _price. They must vow their allegiance to him, to always stay by his side, until death do them apart...perhaps. Most of the staff (if not all) are all there for that very same reason; they wanted a wish, Mr. Dark granted it, and their price is forced upon them mercilessly.

And Mr. Dark doesn't like those who break their promises…

But what brings Mr. Dark out tonight?

Should I really explain? You should read on, my friend, you'll soon find out why…

The sounds of his high heels gently pounding on the old brick pathway was the only sound that echoed throughout the deserted streets. Fog swirled around him and the night air seemed much cooler than usual. And yet, that captivating smile of his never left his revered face. His eyes were energetic and his posture was calm and collected, a true form of a gentleman of his stature. The only thing on his mind was the town square, where an ominous sound perked his ears and piqued his interest.

He liked finding his prey at night…

Entering the circle that the brick below him was customized to look like, he peered into the shrouded fog to only see a faint, small silhouette standing alone in front of small fountain, known for being the center of the small town square. He inched closer, taking each step carefully so not to startle the peculiar individual. As he got closer it was eminent that the sound was actually from an old-fashioned organ grinder along with a frail voice singing melancholically to match the tune the instrument played.

_Got a secret, can you keep it?_

_Swear, this one you'll save._

_Better lock it in your pocket,_

_Taking this one to the grave._

Mr. Dark could easily identify it was small child's voice singing the dark tune. The size of the silhouette proved it as well. However, looks can be deceiving - from which Mr. Dark is well acquainted with experiencing.

...and if there's one thing Mr. Dark does not like...it's surprises.

_And to show you that I know_

_you won't tell what I said._

'_Cause two can keep a secret_

_if one of them is __**dead**__._

The child stopped singing and halted the creaking handle on the side of the organ grinder, finally noticing the presence of Mr. Dark approaching. Mr. Dark, however, continued his assault until he was an inch away from the child. He knelt down and gazed at the child's face in curiosity, and yet the child did not even wince. It was a simple female piplup with an odd, black blindfold covering her eyes. A small smile perceived her beak and gave a nod in greeting.

"Hello stranger." She stated in slight accommodating tone.

Mr. Dark's smile broadened slightly as he touched the child's blindfold over her eyes in amusement. **"Hello, little one," **He greeted, **"such a peculiar one you are."**

He smoothed his hand over her blindfold and even yanked it slightly to see what was hidden behind it, but the child remained unfazed and her smile still radiated her blissful mood.

"What brings you out here, stranger?" She asked, touching Mr. Dark's torso questionably, trying to get a better read on what he looked like.

Mr. Dark stopped playing with her blindfold and composed himself back onto his feet. **"A simple stroll. To watch the shadows dance here before I move on to another town."**

"Sounds lovely, stranger-"

"**Mr. Dark. My name is Mr. Dark." **He interrupted, his posture straining slightly.

Only Mr. Dark...Mr. Dark...nothing else…

"**Well isn't it odd that a delicate flower like you is wandering these streets in this ghastly fog, in the blackness of the night?"**

"It's dark out?" She questioned.

Oh, such a perfect feast!

"**Why yes, milady. Have you not noticed- oh dear…" **He paused, faking sincerity as his smile grew more mischievous. **"...you can't see because of your blindfold. What happened?"**

The child looked towards the ground in silence before resuming her normal posture and answered with a confident, "Nothing."

Mr. Dark winced and instantly he could feel his blood boil slightly, but he refused to show it any form and his smile continued to be etched on his face. **"Well there must be a reason why you're wearing a blindfold. It's not safe to do such a thing outside like this."**

"I don't care," she replied with a simple shrug, "I don't want to see. I don't want to see the world anymore."

Mr. Dark stared down at the little girl in confusion, but his playful smirk made its appearance once more in triumph. He bent down to be eye-leveled with the girl and gently grabbed her free hand in an act of consolation.

"**I can make that go away for you. I can make sure that you would never see the world again, without the need of your blindfold." **He explained softly, rubbing the girl's hand in a comforting way.

The little girl squeezed her hand around Mr. Dark's. "That's real nice of you, Mr. Dark, but no thanks."

Mr. Dark froze. Never in his immortal life has he been turned down for a wish, the gift to have anything a victim desires (to some extent of course), and this girl turned it down without a second thought!

"**Are you sure my dear? This is a wish that will come true, just for you."**

The girl's smile disappeared and was replaced with a melancholic frown. She pulled her hand away from his and held it limply by her side. "It was that kind of stuff...that made me believe that this world is horrible. The things that I have seen...the things pokemon did just because of their greed...I don't want that. I'm not like them."

Mr. Dark wasn't happy, not at all. He wanted to feed off her misery and despair after knowing the consequences of her wish, not to mention another 'helper' in his most precious circus. But he doesn't give up so easily…

"**Greed is one thing, desire is another." **Mr. Dark influenced. **"It is not wrong to desire something that could improve one's life, only when the thought consumes one's mind does it spiral into a black pool of sin."**

"You're very thoughtful and I like your imagination, but it's not for me. I do not wish to have a better life in this world. I don't want to live in this corrupt world." The child countered innocently.

Another chance…

"**You do not wish to live in this world, my dear? I can make that happen for you."**

"I do not want to rely on others for my goals...if I happen to fall one day, I'll gladly accept my fate with open arms."

Such a child, to think of such things without a hesitation in her voice, just what did this child see to give her horrendous thoughts?

"**Not even most adults would say a thing without trembling in fear, you are a very brave girl. But why wait? Why suffer?" **Mr. Dark questions.

"Because," the girl answered simplistically, "that's the world we live in."

My, my. What has the world done to this defenseless girl? Why is it so hard to ask, to desire, to want to have a wish granted? Mr. Dark just can't perceive such a concept without thinking this girl is already corrupt...there is nothing else he can do here. But for the fun of it, he continued to listen to the forlorn girl ramble on and on...speaking of this world's dauntless beliefs and unaccommodating tragedies.

It wasn't long before Mr. Dark finally left the wretched girl alone and made his way back to his circus, he wouldn't want such a deplorable girl like her working for him anyways. Her usefulness to him is long gone, but it was nice to try.

That ghostly train of his left town in the pitch-blackness of the night, even more so than before, and it carried its solemn and melancholic passengers to another town just waiting for them to arrive. No one disappeared from the old town tonight, but one soul remains to crank that ghastly organ grinder and sing that dark, spine-chilling tune that seems to speak to the world- no...explain to the people of the world just how cruel that so-called world can be. A soul of a girl...who lost her faith in the world.

'_Cause two can keep a secret,_

_if one of them is __**dead**__._

**A/N: This one-shot is more poetic than straightforward, so some people might be confused.**

**Basically speaking, a child lost her innocence in the world at such a young age. Completely traumatized, she decides to take drastic measures and blindfolds herself so that she can never witness those traumatic horrors ever again. And the spark that ignited her fears was the concept of greed that drove most people to succumb to their darker minds. She witnessed it, and saw what had produced from it, and dares not speak of the event. It was her family who succumbed to it and their fate was delivered to them by the backslash of their greed. Now the lone piplup remains an orphan and gathers in the center of town to play the old organ grinder left behind by her family, in hopes of earning some coin. She dares not leave that spot. **

**This is a great example of a Christian theme where the devil tries to influence someone to do a sinful act...if that's another way you prefer to see this story as anyways.. Either way, its to show that not even the strongest of hearts and belief can also have an iron will. **

**Song: Secret - The Pierces **


End file.
